Wetin make tomato cost for market
If you don notice say tomato too cost for market and bin dey tink say na sake of Ramadan month wey Muslims dey fast, you may wan rethink am after dis tori.
Tomatoes farmers for for Kano state, northwest Nigeria tell us wetin fit dey make tomato cost for market.
“I don lose everything for my farm, no single tomato remain.”
Dat na how Muhsin Musa, one tomato farmer begin im tori of how e lose im crops to Tuta Absoluta, di pest wey dey make tomato dey cost for matket.
“No be only me all my neighbours for farm also lose all dia crops.” Di farmer wey dey farm for Dambatta local goment tok.
“We bin dey hope to gain from di crops but dis pest don make us lose everything.” Muhsin tell BBC News Pidgin.
Alhaji Sani Yadakwari na chairmo for tomato growers association for Kano state and e tok say wetin di farmers lose reach N1.5bn.
“You know notice say tomato dey cost for market? Dis na di reason, dis Tuta Absoluta don cause destruction for our crops.”
End of Di one wey oda users dey read well well
“Wetin we lose na N1.5bn and you know say Kano na di biggest producer of tomato for Nigeria na why e di effect reach everywhere.”
Every farmer suppose get atleast N5M per each hectare of tomato so calculate am to see for yourself wetin di loss go be.”
Alhaji Sani tok say Kano state na di biggest producer of tomato for Nigeria and dis Tuta Absoluta wahala na im make di vegetable (or fruits) dey expensive across markets for di kontri.
“Na Kano dey supply many places for Nigeria and na why tomato dey cost for market at di moment.”
“E go even cost pass like dis soon because di heat dey contribute wella for dis pest problem na until rainy season proper tomato go dey available and normal.”
Di chairmo say federal ministry of agriculture don reach out to dem about di problem and don promise to helep dem but nothing dey ground for now.
“Last week ministry of agric reach out say make we compile list of di affected farmers and farms we don do am and still dey wait for dem.”
For 2016 Kaduna state declare state of emergency for Tuta absoluta mata after e ravage 80 percent of all tomato farms for di state resulting in over N1bn loss.
‘E dey pain me anytime I buy tomato for market’
Abubakar Muhammad say to buy tomato for market at di moment dey pain because of how small di sellers dey give.
E tok say im no even dey aware say na pest cause di problem.
“I bin think say since dis no be rainy season na why e dey cost for market but now I know beta.”
“My hope be say goment go helep di farmers solve di problem because we wey dey buy for market and di farmers dey suffer pass.”
Wetin you need know about Tuta Absoluta
Tuta absoluta na species of moth known by the common names South American tomato pinworm, tomato leafminer, tomato pinworm or South American tomato moth.
Na well known serious pest of tomato crops for Europe, Africa, western Asia and South and Central America, and e dey cause up to 100% loss of crops if dem no control am.
‘Di solution no be pesticide but more knowledge’
Dr Nafiu Bala Sanda na agronomist and crop protection expert for Bayero University wey dey Kano state and e yarn say di solution na for di farmers to get beta knowledge on tomato.
“Wetin i go suggest be say special seminars for tomato farmers suppose dey happun wia dem go dey get knowledge about dia crops.”
“Dis Tuta Absoluta, di solution no be pesticide because overtime di disease don become resistant so di solution na to notice am very early and take action.”
E tok say e dey very sad say di farmers wey invest dia money, time and effort into di tomato no benefit anything from am.
